Tears of Life
by Evelynn Black
Summary: This story is set seven years after the end of Xenogears. It shows how Emeralda is maturing, and also how Fei and Elly's relationship is growing. This is one of the few I'm actually proud of, so please read it and let me know what you think!


Elly yawned as she stretched in the soft flannel sheets. Sunlight was streaming in through the window, and Fei was asleep next to her. There was a quiet knock on the door.  
  
"Emmy, is that you?"  
  
"Yeah, it's me. Can I come in?" Emeralda responded.  
  
It had been seven years since Elly and Emeralda had met, and Emeralda's grammer had improved dramatically since.  
  
"I'm going to see Jade. I'll be back in time for lunch, okay?"  
  
"Sure, Emmy. Have fun!"  
  
Elly rolled over and sighed. She loved Emeralda with all her heart, and it was hard to see her growing older and becoming independent.  
  
She looked out the window at the sunrise. The sun had barely risen over the distant mountains, so it was probably no later than six in the morning.  
  
She must really love him, Elly thought. It's so early...  
  
Elly closed her eyes and went back to sleep.  
  
~/~/~  
  
Several hours later, Fei woke up to see that Elly was already downstairs making breakfast. He slid out of bed and felt the cool wooden floor beneath his feet. He got dressed and went downstairs to join Elly.  
  
"Good morning, Fei. Did you sleep well?"  
  
"Yeah," said Fei. "What's for breakfast?"  
  
"Toast, sausages and coffee."  
  
"Oooh, that sounds good! Hey, can I make some fried eggs, too?"  
  
"Yeah, sure."  
  
"Hey, wait a second! Where's Emmy?" Fei asked.  
  
"Oh, she went to go visit Jade."  
  
"Sheesh," said Fei, "That's ONLY about the fourth time this week!"  
  
Fei distinctly saw Elly wipe away a tear.  
  
"What's the matter?" He asked.  
  
"Emmy! She's growing up, getting older..."  
  
"Well," said Fei, "she IS over 4,000 years old!"  
  
"I, I know that, but she's still my little girl."  
  
"I know, Elly. It's hard, isn't it?"  
  
"Mmmhmm..."  
  
Elly stopped cooking for a minute and flung her arms around Fei.  
  
"Oh, God, Fei! She'll be gone soon!"  
  
Fei and Elly just stood there for a moment, Elly crying her eyes out.  
  
"Oh, no!" said Elly. "I think I've burnt the sausages!"  
  
"Nope," said Fei. "They're fine."  
  
"Whew. They're about done. Ready for breakfast, Fei?"  
  
"Am I ever! Let's eat!"  
  
After breakfast, Elly set about the usual housework, and Fei left the house to go to the studio for a while.  
  
Maybe it will help if he paints his feelings out, thought Elly.  
  
Once she had finished the housework, she went upstairs to write a note to her friend Maria. Maria had seemed much younger than Elly at the time of their mission, but five year's difference didn't seem like so much anymore.  
  
Dear Maria,  
  
  
  
How are you? I will cut straight to the point. Emeralda will not be with us much longer. She is about to move on to her life with her dream-man, and won't need me anymore. I'll really miss her. Any support you have is more than welcome. Oh, those green peas you gave me to plant in the garden are doing splendidly. Fei bought a gardener's recipe book the other day, and we've been experimenting with cooking some of our home grown vegetables a lot lately. I do wish you could come visit us sometime. I almost forgot to tell you! The funniest thing happened the other day. We were visiting the cathedral, talking to the nuns, and Fei accidentally stepped on her cloak! She tripped, and all her clothes came off! It seemed like a very bad situation at first, but it didn't seem to bother her. All the sisters are so good-natured. Well, I hope to hear from you soon. Sincerely,  
  
Elly  
  
Elly folded the note and took it to the post office. Upon her return, she found that Emeralda and Fei had returned as well. Emeralda's hands were folded in her lap, and she was strangely quiet, but she looked very happy.  
  
"Uh, ready for lunch, anyone?" asked Elly.  
  
Fei gave her the thumbs-up and Emeralda nodded absent-mindedly.  
  
After a quick lunch, Emeralda went upstairs and shut herself in her room for the rest of the afternoon.  
  
Uh, oh...thought Elly.  
  
Fei went to the basement to finish a painting he had brought home from the studio, and Elly went outside to work in the garden.  
  
~/~/~  
  
At dinner that night, Emeralda was still very quiet, and Elly noticed that she wasn't using her left hand at all.  
  
"Did you hurt you hand, Emmy?"  
  
"No," said Emeralda quickly, looking embarrassed.  
  
In Elly's eyes, it seemed likely that there was more to Emeralda's mischievous smile than she was showing, but she let it go.  
  
Fei was about to start clearing the dishes when Emeralda stood up.  
  
"Um, Fei? Elly? I need to tell you something."  
  
Elly felt a rush of adrenaline.  
  
"What is it?" Elly asked.  
  
"Jade and I are engaged."  
  
-Three months later-  
  
When Elly woke up, she almost shot through the roof.  
  
"It's that day!" she said aloud.  
  
"Mmm? What day? Fei murmured sleepily.  
  
"Emeralda's wedding!" Elly cried.  
  
They got dressed quickly, Elly into her dress for special occasions and Fei to his best suit, and they hurried to the Ocean Garden, a magnificent garden designed to look like the sea. Emeralda and Jade were already there, Jade was dressed in rich, colorful robes that resembled the garden, and Emeralda wore a long, white wedding dress and a beautiful green veil. Mother Marguerite had come to do the ceremony, and she too was dressed in white. Fei and Elly found seats and nervously sat down to watch. As Emeralda and Jade walked towards the makeshift stage, flowers being scattered around them, Elly found it hard not to cry. Fei noticed and put his arm around her comfortingly. Once Margie had pronounced them husband and wife, they kissed, and then danced together. The dance was so beautiful that Elly forgot to feel sad. After the dance was the wedding cake, but Elly wasn't feeling very well, so she didn't eat any.  
  
"Aren't you going to eat anything, Elly?" asked Fei.  
  
"No, I don't feel too good."  
  
"I'm sorry. I'll save you some cake, and you can eat it later."  
  
"Yeah, sure."  
  
Elly felt really tired, and she was under a lot of stress. Fei could see this, so as soon as the reception was over, he took her home. As they were to leave, Emeralda came running towards them.  
  
"Wait!" she said. "Don't leave just yet! You'll need this!"  
  
She handed them the piece of cake that Fei had saved for Elly.  
  
"Oh!" said Elly. "Thanks." "You'll come visit me sometime, won't you?" said Emeralda.  
  
"Of course," said Fei. "See you soon, Emmy."  
  
Elly bit her lip trying not to cry.  
  
"I'll miss you, Emmy," she whispered to herself.  
  
Fei gave her a hug.  
  
"It's okay," he told her quietly.  
  
  
  
~/~/~  
  
After about a week, Elly still wasn't feeling well. She was constantly tired, and she hadn't been properly hungry for ages. Wondering if something was wrong with her, she decided to go see Citan. She thought for a moment whether to tell Fei or not. She decided that she didn't want to worry him until she knew something was wrong, so she decided not to say anything.  
  
"Fei?" she called. "I'm going to go run some errands, okay?"  
  
"Yeah, okay," said Fei. "See you later."  
  
She walked quickly part of the way to Citan's house, but slowed down about halfway there since she was so tired. Yui opened the door when she got there, and told her to make herself at home.  
  
"Could I see Citan please? I have a few things I'd like to ask him," said Elly.  
  
"Sure," said Yui. "He's upstairs working, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind seeing you."  
  
"Thanks, Yui. I'll go see him now."  
  
Elly walked up the stairs to Citan's room and knocked on the door.  
  
"Come in!" called Citan.  
  
Elly stepped inside his room. Citan was sitting at his desk, leaning over some sort of mechanical gadget, studying it carefully.  
  
"Oh, hello Elly. What brings you here today?"  
  
Elly told him about her constant fatigue, and everything else that had been bothering her. When she finished, Citan tested her blood for a few things, and ran a couple of other tests. When he had finished, the answer Citan had in store for her almost knocked Elly off her feet.  
  
"Thank you, Citan!" she said. "I'll go tell Fei right away!"  
  
Although she was still physically not feeling well, she was happier than she had been in weeks.  
  
"FEI!"  
  
"Huh? Elly, what's up?"  
  
"You're not going to believe this, Fei!" Elly gasped breathlessly.  
  
"Don't keep me waiting! What is it, already?"  
  
"I'm pregnant!"  
  
"Oh my God! Elly, that's wonderful! .Hang on, I thought you were running some errands!" said Fei, looking a little confused.  
  
"Um, sort of. You know how I have been feeling kind of worn out lately? Well, I was starting to get worried, so I went to go see Citan. He ran all these tests and stuff, and when he was done."  
  
"I see, so your 'errand' was really a doctor appointment?"  
  
"Not exactly an 'appointment,' said Elly. "I just ran over there."  
  
"Well," said Fei, sounding a bit shocked. "About time, I guess. I mean, we've been trying for about six years!"  
  
Throughout that week, Fei and Elly nearly forgot their sadness from Emeralda's departure. As Elly's pregnancy progressed, she became more and more excited. About six months in, Emeralda sent a letter asking if they would like to visit her. It was winter, but the weather had been mild, so they accepted. They left for Emeralda's cottage two days later. Upon their arrival, Jade came to the door and welcomed them to the tiny cottage. Emeralda served them tea, and eventually brought up the subject of Elly's pregnancy. They had been writing to each other for the past few months, and Elly had told her the news.  
  
"How far along are you again? About six months?"  
  
"Yeah," said Elly. "I'm due in the spring."  
  
"Is it a boy or girl?" asked Emeralda.  
  
"We don't know yet," said Fei.  
  
"Hmm." said Emeralda thoughtfully. "Tell me when the baby's born, okay?"  
  
Elly nodded.  
  
"Elly!" said Emeralda suddenly. "I haven't told you what happened recently, have I?"  
  
"No," said Elly, "what?"  
  
"I finally got my midwife's degree! It's my job now. Do. do you think I could deliver your baby?"  
  
Elly was pleasantly astounded.  
  
"Congratulations! And of course, I 'd love to have you as my midwife." she said. "You'll have to come about a month early. It's my first baby, so the exact date is uncertain. Jade is more than welcome too. Our living room is big enough to hold plenty of visitors!"  
  
"Alright. So we'll come in about two months?"  
  
"Yeah," said Fei. I look forward to your visit."  
  
"Hmm, I think I'll have to take a month off of work. I can't exactly come all the way back here if someone's in labor!"  
  
Elly looked out the window.  
  
"It's getting late. We should probably go."  
  
"Okay," said Emeralda. "I'll see you guys soon."  
  
Fei and Elly picked their coats and walked to the door.  
  
"Oh, wait!" said Jade. "We have a present for you."  
  
He brought out a little package and handed it to them. Elly tore off the paper and found a beautifully carved wooden statue of herself, Fei, Emeralda, and Jade. Delighted, Elly stared at her own face, smiling, next to all the others she loved.  
  
"Thank you!" she said. "Did you carve this?"  
  
"Yes," said Jade. "I'm a wood-worker. It's what I do for a living."  
  
Fei looked as though he would like to give his thanks, but was too stunned for words.  
  
"Well," said Elly. "We really should go now. Thank you so much for the carving!"  
  
"Goodbye!"  
  
By the time they got home, Elly was so tired and happy that she fell asleep as soon as she got in bed.  
  
  
  
Around a month later, Yui and Citan came over to visit one afternoon.  
  
After talking for a couple hours, Yui had an idea.  
  
"Elly," she said, "would you like me to come and cook for the first few days after the birth? That way you won't have to work."  
  
"Yeah!" said Elly. "That would be great."  
  
Fei didn't have any objection to this proposal either. Citan would have to stay home to watch Midori, but he said he would be ready to come if he was needed for any reason. This settled, Citan and Yui decided to go home, as they had things to do.  
  
On the day that Emeralda and Jade were scheduled to arrive, Fei and Elly decided it was high time they bought all the things they would need for their baby. Fei sold his paintings for a living, and one he had sold recently had earned them quite a bit, most likely enough to buy all the things they needed for the baby. Once they had finished their shopping, they went back home, and Emeralda and Jade arrived minutes later.  
  
That month passed rather quickly, and almost before she knew it, Elly was in labor.  
  
"Go get Yui," said Elly. "She said she'd come cook."  
  
Fei smiled. Elly must not be to far into labor yet, if the only thing on her mind was breakfast the next morning.  
  
"Sure. I'll go get her. Will you be okay by yourself?"  
  
"Yeah, I'll be fine."  
  
When Fei returned with Yui, who settled herself in the living room talking with Jade, Elly had decided to go to sleep while she could. Late into the night, the moment they had waited for so long came. Elly gave birth to a beautiful little baby girl. Emeralda caught the baby and handed her to Elly. Her hair was dark like Fei's, but she had Elly's eyes. Elly held the baby, her eyes shining with tears of joy. Fei sat down next to Elly, embracing her.  
  
"Elly, what shall we name her?" asked Fei.  
  
Elly thought for moment, searching for the perfect name for her baby.  
  
"Medena," she said at last. "For my mother."  
  
Fei nodded.  
  
"Yeah, Medena. That's perfect."  
  
Now, although Emeralda had grown up and moved on, Elly had her own daughter to love and look after. She couldn't think of anything that would make her happier.  
  
THE END 


End file.
